Not Quite Alone
by Scorpia710
Summary: They’ve all grown up, mentally and physically. Yes, even Eagle. But after a tragedy, one member of K Unit needs help. And for Alex, that help is coming in the form of Wolf.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **Much to the authors delight, and to my disappointment, I do not own Alex Rider.

The cheery ring of the doorbell forced him to open his eyes. Alex wanted nothing more than to just lay his head back down. Whoever wanted to talk to him could go to hell.

His head fell forward to rest on his arms--and the doorbell rang again.

This time someone knocked impatiently as well.

The sound awoke Timothy, and he started crying. Alex's fists clenched and his eyes clenched shut. It had taken him forever to get Timothy to sleep. Sitting up, Alex stood and wiped his tired eyes.

"Timothy, please don't cry," he whispered as he picked up the child.

The baby wailed as someone rang the doorbell for a third time. "I'll make them go away," he promised and kissed the little boy's head. Timothy was only five months old, but he already had more expressions to show his displeasure then Alex had a name for.

A small, pouty mouth wobbled pitifully, and Alex tucked Timothy's head into his neck, and the baby's cries seemed to lessen at the familiar, protective hold.

Answering the door with a firm frown on his face, Alex hoped to scare away whomever had bothered him. He did not get a lot of sleep, neither did Timothy, and to have the little they _did _have interrupted….needless to say, Alex was not pleased.

"Hey, Cub."

Wolf seemed out of place on his doorstep with his tan and dark features in the cool, bleak weather. Alex was positive he, himself, had not seen the sun in at least a week.

Alex stared for a moment. "Wolf, hey…come in," he offered confusedly. He had not seen Wolf in over a year…or at least not since his own wedding.

"Sorry for dropping in without calling…I just got back from a job in the states. Wish I had to go to Florida more often," Wolf said. "Kind of weird to go from sunshine and sunburn to rain and long-sleeved shirts in two days."

Alex nodded politely and moved aside from the doorway. Timothy had turned his head to stare at the strange man in the doorway, and Wolf grinned at him.

When the baby immediately started to cry again, Wolf's smile turned to a frown. "Yep, he's just like you," he said.

Alex only managed a half hearted smile. "He's tired and irritable – you coming and trying to knock down my door doesn't help," he explained and showed Wolf into the living room. He tried not to notice the way Wolf's eyes took in every detail of the house. The dirty bottles, laundry and trash lay scattered around the house.

"Sorry about the house," Alex muttered as he swept the blankets and pillows off the couch. He had been sleeping there for what seemed like forever and the blankets were in need of a good cleaning.

Wolf shrugged at Alex's apology, "I know how it is with kids – babysat Eagle's brats," he said with a dry chuckle. "Who would have thought he'd ever be mature enough to have kids, and three of them at that!"

Wolf sat on the couch Alex had cleared off and made no comment on the bed-covers or the simple cot that stood near the end of the couch. Still holding Timothy, Alex watched as Wolf took in his house with a slightly curious expression. He had never seen his home, and Alex could not blame him for being interested.

Cathy had quite the eye for design. Copies of her favorite pictures hung from almost every wall, the furniture had all been picked by her – although she had asked for Alex's help when it came to their bedroom furniture. "I don't want you to hate the very furniture you sleep in, it would be like that show where that guy got his dead grandmother's furniture – It had all those cherubs carved into the wood work, remember?" She had then started laughing. Alex'd had no idea what show she was talking about, but he'd smiled, anyway.

Alex blinked and turned away from those memories. Timothy gave a shuddering sigh as his crying finally stopped.

Babies had a way of knowing what their parents felt – which was probably why Timothy had not been happy in a quite a long time.

"How's Snake?" Alex asked. In truth, he had not thought about his unit in ages – he just needed something to say. He was wondering what Wolf wanted, but he did not want to appear rude by demanding to know.

"He's working hard. Damian wants to go to Medical School, and Marian wants to send Lillian to public school," he said with a grin. "Damian is a smart kid though, and he deserves to go." Alex nodded and listened as Timothy sniffled.

He remembered that Damian was Snake's oldest child who shared his father's talent of healing. "What about Fox?"

"Oh, he's off having an exciting adventure in some county I can't pronounce. Meanwhile, us old men stay as close to home as possible – I thought he'd be the first one married, to tell you the truth."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You can talk about yourself being old. I'm too busy to be old."

Wolf snorted, "Then why does it feel so weird to call you Cub? I think I should call you Bear instead."

Alex made no comment, and sat on the arm of his favorite chair. His legs were tired of walking, and if he was not constantly moving, then Timothy would squirm.

Looking down, Alex saw that his son was asleep again. His strawberry blond hair was soft under Alex's gentle hand as he brushed the thin locks. Hoping he slept for a while, Alex looked back up at Wolf.

The man was watching him closely and Alex felt defensive. Holding Timothy closer, he waited for Wolf speak.

"I heard about Catherine."

There it was, he finally said it. Alex focused on the patterned, periwinkle carpet under his feet…it was something else Cathy had picked out. Quickly looking away, Alex accidentally caught Wolf's eye.

The happiness from earlier now seemed fake. Wolf had just been trying to bring the subject up without seeming nosey.

_And he's not being nosey, _Alex thought with a sigh. Wolf was just a concerned friend who had come to show – what exactly? Support or maybe friendship? Or maybe Wolf's new fiancé had bullied him into coming….

Alex was not sure why he was here, but it did feel nice to see a familiar face.

"I guess you know what happened then?"

Wolf nodded and looked at his feet. Alex bit his lip and carefully moved to sit in the chair, his back aching from sitting on the arm of the chair.

When Timothy did not wake, he carefully moved his son to a more comfortable position. Timothy's chin rested on Alex's shoulder as he slept on.

"I didn't really believe it when they told me," Alex said reluctantly. "They told me Ian, my uncle, had died in a car crash as well, and I was right about not believing it, then. They had to – show me, I mean I had to…see her first before I could even…."

He stopped and gauged Wolf's reaction, he was quietly listening, so Alex continued.

"After that I couldn't ignore the truth. I wanted to, you know, I actually hoped that the body they showed me was someone else's, and – that somehow Scorpia was coming after me again and had her trapped somewhere. I even waited for a bloody letter from them. Some sort of ransom note would come to me, I was positive of it. I think all that work for MI6 made me paranoid." He tried to smile.

Wolf did not move or speak. Alex was glad he kept quiet. He had not talked to anyone about this, and now that he started, he could not seem to stop.

"Two weeks after the funeral, MI6 wanted me back. The trainer they had hired to do my job must have sucked. You know what I do right?"

Wolf nodded. "You teach a weapons class, and train the SAS soldiers."

Alex nodded. "They wanted me back and I had no good excuse not to go. I got a babysitter for Timothy and had everything planned out. But when I came back from work and she wasn't here to greet me – I think that's when it finally sunk in. Cathy used to come to the door with Timothy when I got home, every day. I knew that when I walked in the door, they'd be waiting. It made me feel appreciated and…all that mushy stuff."

Alex went quiet. Timothy made a sound and Alex immediately started rubbing his hand up and down the small back. He was not sure why he was telling Wolf all this. The man did not want to hear it, he was probably embarrassed for Alex's sake – but he had not complained or squirmed uncomfortably.

He had just let him talk--and that was something Alex needed right now.

Timothy smacked his lips in his sleep and brought Alex's attention to him. "He misses his mum," Alex whispered. He blinked quickly and had to look away--but everywhere he looked he saw something that reminded him of her. "He's only five months old, so he doesn't ask for mummy or anything like that, but…you can tell he knows that she's gone."

Alex looked up at Wolf. "Does that make any sense?" Wolf nodded and Alex was glad the man understood, or at least he pretended to.

"Timothy babbles a lot…or he used to before the…accident. I lost my job, did I tell you?" Wolf shook his head. He hadn't heard anything from Alex in months – that was one reason he'd come. He even had to hear that Catherine died from one of the men Alex trained. They were worried about him. Now Wolf could see why.

"I couldn't find any other babysitters for Timothy after a week or so. He cried too much they said. It – kind of made me angry at them. Of course he is going to cry, his mum is gone – what baby wouldn't cry?"

Pausing, Alex stood up to lay Timothy in the cot. Sitting back down a moment later, he clasped his hands together to try to chase away the chill the suddenly grabbed him.

"Blunt was always a cold hearted bastard," Alex muttered and Wolf nodded. "Jones wasn't much better. I told Blunt I could come back, and that I just had to get things straightened out. A housekeeper is a possibility, but I want to spend time with him," Alex's eyes went over to the cot.

"I think my uncle Ian mostly stayed home until I turned seven, then he hired Jack and went back to work. I told Blunt that I needed to be with him, just until he got back to normal. Blunt was firm, said if I couldn't do my job then what was the use in having me. I never knew he could speak for himself," Alex said with a snort. "I left the next day, told them I quit. A lot of those younger people I trained weren't happy with him," he said with a smile.

Wolf frowned, "Why can't Cathy's mum or dad help? You haven't mentioned them-"

He stopped talking, as Alex's face had darkened.

The week old beard on his face gave him a scruffy appearance that was backed up by the dark circles under his eyes. Alex's eyes used to be lively – Wolf had noticed the intelligence in those eyes way back in Brecon Beacon. Now, Alex's eyes were bleak with fatigue and turmoil.

"Cathy's dad died a week after she told them we were getting married. Caroline, Cathy's mum, blamed me for that I think…I'll probably never know why, but they didn't like me. Didn't think I was good enough for their daughter – and I have to admit that I think Cathy could have definitely found someone better than me." Alex smiled softly. "I'm glad she didn't, though."

Wolf stared at his hands, and more importantly, at the ring on his finger. He understood exactly what Alex meant. He'd seen the two of them together. Catherine was laughter and slyness, she was fun to be around and Wolf had immediately liked her. Not only because she made Alex smile (which was something Wolf had not seen a lot), but she also had kept Alex from doing anything stupid.

Once Alex had met her, he had stopped spying and Blunt had offered him the job of teaching and training new people that worked at MI6. He had stopped putting his life in danger, because he had someone that loved him.

She was everything that Alex needed, and now she was gone.

Wolf cleared his throat to rid himself of the tight feeling. "What about Timothy? Caroline would come over and help you because of him, wouldn't she?"

Alex was already shaking his head. "I haven't seen her since the funeral."

Alex met Wolf's eyes. "You know, she looked at me during the funeral and her face - she hates me Wolf. Caroline won't offer to help me, and I'm not sure I'd want my son around someone who hates me anyway."

"You need help Alex."

"I know!" Alex growled sharply. The desperation on his face was quickly hidden by his hands as he rubbed his face. "I'm sorry," he sighed.

Wolf nodded. Over in the cot, Timothy stirred anxiously. Alex looked at the cot warily. "God, I hope he doesn't wake up."

After a few moments of silence, Alex and Wolf looked at each other. "Let's go to the kitchen," Alex suggested, and Wolf nodded his agreement.

Sitting at the table, Wolf watched as Alex put some water on to boil. "Water is about the only thing I can cook," he said with an apologetic smile to his visitor.

Wolf laughed, "I hear you, if I didn't have Jennifer I would have starved to death by now."

"When's your wedding anyway?"

Wolf shrugged and laughed in exasperation, "I have no bloody idea! She keeps changing the date so all her family can come. I'll give you a call when she's made a firm decision."

Alex nodded and brought the tea over.

"Are you going to keep working with SAS?"

"Yeah. It's the only thing I know how to do – well, that and cars, but I imagine it would be rather awkward going from guns and bullet wounds to a car garage," he said, with a laugh.

Alex smiled at him and pushed a tea cup towards him along with the sugar container. "Jennifer doesn't mind your work?"

Wolf shrugged as he put the second teaspoon of sugar into his cup. "I don't think so, not too much at least. Although every time I go off, she does tell me that if I get hurt she'll kill me."

"She sounds…nice." Wolf laughed at Alex's amused expression and drank his tea in a few gulps.

"She's great. We're looking for a house closer to London. She wants to be near her sister." Wolf sighed.

"You don't like her?"

"No, her sister is great – but I don't want to see her every day of my life."

Alex sipped his tea. "Put a good lock on the door, you'll be fine."

Wolf shrugged – and that's when Timothy started crying. Alex frowned sadly and got up to get the baby. When he came back into the kitchen, Wolf was staring at his glass with unseeing eyes.

"Wolf?"

The man looked at him. "Sorry, just thinking."

Timothy quieted slightly at the unfamiliar voice. "Bla?" he said and stared at Wolf.

Alex's lips twitched. Wolf seemed calm under the gaze of the baby's hazel eyes.

"He doesn't talk that much, if you can call that talking," he said and set Timothy on the floor with a brightly coloured toy he'd grabbed from the table.

Alex went to fetch more hot water for their tea. Timothy watched him go and then turned back to watch the stranger. Wolf imagined Alex's kid had not seen that many people in a while. Alex's protectiveness was obvious, and he could not blame him.

Timothy was Alex's only link to his wife, as his mother-in-law did not want anything to do with him.

That needed to change, Wolf thought.

"Blag, bla, bla!" Timothy had moved over to Wolf's boots and was contentedly tugging at the laces. Wolf felt Alex watching his warily and tried to appear happy with the child at his feet.

"I can put him in his play pen?" Alex offered as he brought the tea pot back over to the table.

"No, I don't mind," Wolf said truthfully. "…he looks a lot like Catherine. Got your nose though."

Alex looked at the small nose and had to agree. Besides the size of it, they did share the same nose. "Cathy's hair was darker, but he has her eyes. I hope they stay that way."

Wolf watched as Alex got a glassy look in his eyes. It was awkward knowing that he was grieving and not knowing how to help. Alex did not have many friends, most of them were older people that had grown to respect him when he had spied. The other friends lived too far away – or were just not good friends.

Those were the only reasons Wolf could think of to explain why Alex did not have someone's support. He was not the person to help. Wolf liked Alex, he was a good person going through a hard time. But Wolf could not give him the help he needed.

He did have an idea as to who could though.

Timothy tugged forcefully at Wolf's shoes. He had undone the laces and had a thinking expression on his round face. "Abloooga!" He said to Wolf with a serious voice.

"Abloooga, indeed."

Alex smiled and after asking, and receiving, permission, Wolf picked Timothy up.

………………………………................

Wolf had arrived at Alex's home near three in the afternoon. By the time they were done having tea, and trying to keep the conversation light the entire time, it was dark.

"Jennifer knew I'd be gone for a while, would it be okay if I stayed the night?" Wolf asked. "It's a six hour drive back."

"I don't mind. We have an extra room upstairs you can have."

Truthfully, Wolf had thought he'd be sleeping on the couch, and a bed sounded a lot better.

Hours later, Wolf awoke to the sounds of Timothy crying. It was three in the morning, or so said the alarm clock sitting on his bedside table. He sighed and got up. Walking wobbly down the stairs, he found Timothy standing up in his cot.

Alex was sound asleep on the couch and did not look like he needed to be woken. He was just as torn by his wife's death as his son - if not more. The child would get better – it was Alex that Wolf was worried about.

Timothy saw him about the same time that Wolf reached the bottom of the steps.

Carefully walking to the crib, Wolf smiled non-threateningly at the Ian. "Hey, there, you shouldn't cry like that. Your daddy needs his sleep," Wolf commented softly.

The crying had stopped, but dry sniffles still came from the red-eyed boy. Wolf winced at the bogey nose, but he carefully picked the child up.

Timothy seemed to have gotten over his fear of Wolf. That was the beauty of shoelaces.

The round face still seemed sad, though. Timothy laid his head down on Wolf's shoulder. "Oh, shit," Wolf moaned softly as he felt his heart break a little. "Don't go using that cute stuff on me. I'm going to try and help your daddy, okay? No need to bring out the big guns."

Timothy said nothing and Wolf walked him to the bathroom so he could dry the boy's snotty nose.

When they were back in the living room, Wolf sat on the chair and put Timothy in his lap. Examining Alex, Wolf wondered why he didn't sleep in his own bed.

It had to be more comfortable then the couch.

Not against snooping some, Wolf whispered into Timothy's ear, "You want to go exploring?" Timothy looked at him and started to gabble something loudly. Wolf hurriedly took him out of the room so as not to wake Alex.

They searched the house together until Wolf found the bedroom. The door was firmly shut, but Wolf opened it anyway.

The furniture was made from cherry wood, it was nicely furnished and pictures of Alex, Catherine, and Timothy decorated the mantelpiece of a fireplace. The carpet was dyed in varying warm colors, and all together, it was a very nice place.

Wolf took in the smaller details. Some books leaned up against one side of the bed – he remembered that Catherine was a big reader. The bookmark that was partially hidden under the dresser helped prove that. There were two baby toys in the middle of the bed and a fleece blanket decorated with penguins was laid out on the floor.

Timothy made cooing sounds and Wolf looked down to see his hazel eyes firmly attached to the toys on the bed. Shifting the boy to his other arm, Wolf continued his observation.

A pink bathrobe was thrown carelessly over a chair and a blue one hung from a bedpost. Anyone not knowing the situation would think this was the happy bedroom of two parents with a new baby. They would be right if it was three months earlier.

Wolf did not think Alex had been in here since his wife died. There were still signs of Catherine all over the room.

Suddenly feeling like he had meddled in something that was not his business, Wolf backtracked and left the room.

Timothy pouted because of the left behind toys but Wolf did not want to destroy the sense of normality in the room by taking something from it. If Alex wanted to leave the room the way it was, then he had his reasons for doing so.

"Will you go back to sleep now?" Wolf asked Timothy.

Of course, he received no answer and so he put the boy back in the cot. did not stand up or whine, so Wolf pulled the soft blankets up and went back to his room.

He had to take care of some…business, tomorrow.

**Authors Note: Thank you for your help Nyxie! **Timothy Galen Rider--took me forever to come up what that name, heh. After changing it five times, I finally chose the one **I **liked. Thank you for voting in my name poll, even though I did not use the winner. I'm not sure I got the emotions right, I tried, I really did. So I'm hoping it was an enjoyably read, but if It was not--then I'll just have to try harder next time. =) Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Wolf left early the next day. The sky was still mainly dark at six in the morning, but Wolf was wide awake. Alex however, was still asleep, but he showed signs of waking up soon. Jotting down a quick note that said he had to run an errand, but that he would be back, Wolf walked out the door.

Once he was on the pavement, he dialed Eagle on his mobile.

"What?" Eagle moaned once he had answered on the third ring.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, eh?" Wolf said with a smirk in his voice.

"I haven't even woken up yet – go away! Why do you always call in the morning?"

Wolf snorted. In truth he did it to annoy Eagle and keep him on his toes, but he was not going to tell him that.

"Stop bitching, you can sleep on the weekends. I need you to look up an address for me since you're _so _handy with computers."

"Why?" Eagle asked in annoyance. Wolf could hear Eagle shifting as he got out of bed and the irritated voice of his wife.

"It's for Cub," Wolf said.

There was silence and when Eagle talked next, he didn't seem as irritated.

"Oh," he mumbled. There was a whirring sound as Eagle turned his computer on. Wolf had told the entire unit about Catherine's death. Since Wolf had been the closest at the time the news reached him, he was in charge of coming over and checking on the youngest member of his unit.

"Apparently, Catherine's mum refuses to help Alex, and he really needs it," Wolf said.

He could imagine Eagle was nodding by the slight swishing sounds he heard. "Taking care of a kid is tough on two parents. I can see how that must be wearing Cub down." Eagle said with a sigh. "Why do you want her address anyway?"

"You'll see."

"Wolf, don't go do something crazy – at least, not without me. Now give me her name."

"Caroline Beckley," Wolf said. Beckley had been Catherine's maiden name, and he hoped Caroline had not changed her name since her husband had died.

"Let's see, I got a Caroline Iris Beckley, a Caroline Levine Beckley-"

"Catherine's middle name was Ann, she might have got that from her mum," Wolf interrupted Eagle with.

Eagle was typing when Wolf suddenly remembered something. "Hey, look near the Bradford area."

"Why?"

"Fox was going to see fly to see his dad a few years ago, and he had met Alex at the airport. Alex said he was going to Bradford to see his girlfriend, I think this girlfriend was Catherine, so maybe she lived near her parents." Wolf wished he had spent more time with Alex after Brecon Beacons – then he'd know this stuff.

"Er, okay," Eagle said with dry amusement.

There was a silence, then Eagle spoke, "Well, you're right, there is a Caroline Ann Beckley in Eccleshill and that's in Bradford." Eagle gave Wolf the address, which he memorized.

"Thanks, you can go back to bed--"

Eagle had already hung up. Grinning, Wolf headed towards the car he had rented. It was time to make a visit to Caroline.

………………………………....

Her house was small, but proud. It was painted a light yellow with deep green shutters. The curtains in the windows were lacy and a large flower box was filled to the brim with new plants.

Checking the address once again, Wolf walked up to the front door. Wanting to make a good first impression on Catherine's apparently stern mother, he checked his posture and dusted off his jeans.

Taking a deep breath, Wolf smoothed his face to a mournful mask and knocked on the door. Soon, soft footsteps could be heard from inside the house. The door opened and a narrowed eye woman peered out.

"Yes?" she asked suspiciously.

"Hello ma'am, I have a matter of importance to talk to you about. It's about your daughter and your grandson." Wolf hoped the mention of her own flesh and blood would get a positive response from the lady. He was wrong.

She looked him up and down and looked especially close at his eyes. "You know that Rider boy."

Wolf blinked and tried not to be irritated or spooked. "I know Alex Rider, yes. May I come in?"

The woman raised an eyebrow and gave him a look that said 'not likely'. "I'm busy, come back later…in three years." She began to shut the door, but Wolf stopped it with his foot. She looked at him in surprised anger.

"Mrs Beckley, we really need to talk." It must have been his serious tone, or the way he let some impatience show in his voice. Either way, she cautiously opened the door and let him in.

"My neighbors have good eyes, there isn't much they miss," she subtly warned him as she led the way into the house.

Wolf snorted, "If you refused to let me come in, I was going to break down the door." That might not have been the right thing to say, Wolf began to think as he saw the Caroline seemed to bristle.

"Keep your threats to yourself, I'm here to talk, not fight," he reassured her.

Not looking at him, the woman gestured toward a couch in the living room and sat primly in a chair as far away as possible from the couch. Wolf looked around, it was in light colors and very sparsely furnished.

"Speak!" Her command was met by a snort from Wolf.

"Right," he muttered. "I was sorry to hear about the death of your daughter, she was a really good person."

Caroline stayed still, her face remain unmoved. Wolf clenched his teeth and examined her. She had short, dark hair that was graying, blue eyes and frown lines. If it was not for the sad look her eyes held, Wolf would have labeled her as a grouch.

He took a deep breath and began, "I can understand you…not trusting Alex, and maybe I can understand your resentment towards him--but he's a nice person--" Caroline cut him off with a laugh.

"That boy is no good. And of course you would stand by him – he probably paid you to come. What is his job by the way…oh yes, this is where you will say something shady and avoid the question. Catherine should have left when she had the chance-" Caroline cut herself off.

Wolf cleared his throat and tried to think of the right thing to say. "Your daughter loved Alex; she wasn't a fool like you seem to-"

"Then why did she marry him of all people? She didn't even know who he worked for! I saw some of those scars he has," she stood up and spat out the next words. "He's involved with drug dealers, and theft!"

Wolf took a deep breath to calm the woman, but she was not going to let him.

"And he took my daughter away! She's dead because of him," a sob wrenched its way out of her throat and she walked away from him. "Leave my home – I don't need you people ruining what little I have left!"

Wolf did not watch her leave. He buried his head in his hands. This was not going like planned. Perhaps it was a bad idea to come. Caroline was just as broken as Alex and he had no right to come and demand things from her.

Standing up to leave, Wolf glanced at the kitchen. Through the doorway he could see Caroline pacing back and forth as she wiped her face angrily. Silently sighing, Wolf turned to leave.

He got half way to the door before a thought stopped him.

Yes, Alex and Caroline were both hurt. They didn't have anybody left--except each other. Slowly turning around, Wolf marched back to the kitchen.

Caroline had stopped pacing. Her face was tired and sad. "Mrs Beckley?"

Wolf saw her stiffen as she said, "I thought I told you to leave." Her voice was without anger, this time.

"You did, but listen to what I have to say first. If you still feel the same way when I'm done, I'll leave and never bother you again."

She thought over that, then giving a resigned sigh, she turned to him. "I'll listen."

Wolf nodded and hid his surprise well. Retreating back to the living room, he sat back down. Caroline came back in and sat on a chair closer to him.

"Explain to me why you don't like Alex, without jumping around," Wolf commanded. Caroline gave him a look but did not say anything harsh.

"Catherine brought him to me a few weeks after they had been dating. He seemed too mysterious for me, Catherine is…was a bright, happy girl. I thought she needed someone who matched her personality more, and I still do. I asked her what he did before, she said he had a good job in military training, but she would not go farther into details. My husband and I were…uncertain about him.

"They stayed with us for half a week, I saw some of his scars, and it's hard not to notice them when you live so close to each other for a while. I had walked in on him when he was in the bathroom; he was putting on his shirt after taking a shower. There right over his heart was a bullet wound – I know that's what it was!" Her insistence at seeing Wolf's taken aback look made the man nod.

He did not want her to stop talking – he needed to understand how she had become to dislike Alex.

"I told Clark, my husband, about what I had seen," she shook his head. "He died a few days later of a heart attack."

"And you blame this on Alex?"

"Yes, he was putting stress on us whether he knew it or not. I tried to warn Catherine about him, she got mad and said…things." Caroline crossed her arms and glared at him. "She was stiff with me for weeks after that, I found it alarming of how defensive she was about him. They got married half a year later, and then Timothy was born. I did not go see him when he was born. I knew _he _would be there, and I still couldn't…."

Wolf rubbed his eyes. He knew about holding grudges. He also knew how they were hard to get rid of.

"Five months later and my daughter is dead, my grandson is motherless and that horrible man did not even seem to care. I went to the funeral, he didn't even seem sad. His face was blank. He never did not have a lot of expressions. Catherine could not have loved a man like that."

Wolf disagreed, but he still did not speak.

"I've told you what I know, now tell me what you want," Caroline said.

Nodding, Wolf tried to figure out where to begin. "I can't tell you what Alex does for a living, except that it's dangerous – and no, he doesn't sell or take drugs. If anything he stops the people that do. He's had this job since he was fourteen, he never wanted it. More so, it was shoved on him by people that had no other choice. I don't know how much your wife knew about his job, but she obviously trusted him and Alex needed someone to trust him.

"I wish you had known him better. I've only seen him a few times the past many years, but you could tell he was getting quieter – he didn't have as much life in him as he used to. Then he met Catherine, she was amazing, just like you said. When Alex got down, she'd cheer him up, or give him a telling off." Wolf smiled slightly.

"I know that Alex changed because of her. You'd think that he was a criminal because of the way he acted – he was quiet, and shady and I don't think he had any friends…then she came along. Catherine might have saved his life – he literally had no one left! His parents have been dead forever, his uncle died, the one person that was like a sibling to him moved away and his job kept him from keeping many friends. If anything, you should respect your daughter's decision to save Alex from himself, not insult him!"

"How can I respect that when she's dead because of it?" Caroline yelled.

"Because she loved him, you old hag! Can't you understand that?" Wolf yelled back. They were both on their feet.

"Now he needs help. He's got a baby, and no parent should have to raise a kid alone…" Wolf tried to make her understand without anymore cursing, and right as a headache was coming on, too…

"He should have thought about that before he proposed to my daughter! If he's in a dangerous job, then wouldn't he want to keep her safe? He did not love her enough to leave her, so why should I love him?!"

Wolf let out a growl. "If you saw him and that little boy, you'd know why you should love them."

Caroline stared at him and Wolf sighed. "I don't like conversations like this, but…Alex loved your daughter more than any other person in the world. She was a huge blessing to him, and she was ripped away from him just like she was taken away from you."

Wolf decided to lie here, he could see he was winning, a little lie wouldn't hurt. "Alex uncle died in a car crash when he was fourteen, this was the man that raised him and now his wife was killed the same way."

The blue eyes that were familiar to Catherine's looked at the carpet as Caroline slowly sat down. "He's in just as much pain as you are, and if nothing else, you need to do it for Catherine and yourself. You might miss out on something if you don't at least go talk to him," Wolf said.

Caroline looked up at him, "What does Timothy look like?"

Blinking, Wolf stumbled, "Er, he has hazel eyes and reddish blond hair."

Nodding, Caroline stood up. "I would like to see my grandson…will he…" she faltered.

"Alex?" Wolf suggested and she nodded.

"Will Alex mind me coming to see him; I can't imagine he'd be very happy."

"He'd love to see you," Wolf said and Carline looked flustered.

"Very well."

………………………………....

It had not gone as he had planned, but Caroline was driving her car behind him and they were on their way to Alex's house. So while it had not gone smoothly, it had still worked and Wolf felt pleased.

They reached Alex's house sometime past noon.

Caroline got out of her car reluctantly. She did not speak to Wolf as they stood beside each other. "I'll go in firs, you come in a minute later, okay?" Wolf did not wait for a response before knocking.

"Come in," Alex called. His voice sounded muffled through the door, but Wolf could make out the tired undertones.

He entered through the door and found Alex washing dishes while Timothy sat at his feet.

"Hey," Alex greeted. He looked better than he had yesterday. It was not much of an improvement but it would have to do for now.

"Hey," Wolf returned quickly. can I take Timothy for a walk?"

Alex dropped the dish into the water. Drops of the soapy liquid flew into the air and landed on Alex and Timothy. Wolf looked amused as Timothy squealed in excitement and clapped his hands together.

"Why?" Alex asked, his face a picture of bemusement.

"I think you're going to want Timothy away from the house for a while," Wolf said slowly. As if on cue, Caroline walked through the doorway. Alex stared at her then looked at Wolf.

He didn't ask anything, Wolf could tell by his face that Alex knew exactly what was happening.

Walking over to quiet Timothy, Wolf picked up the boy, "We're going to leave your dad and grandma to talk," Wolf said to the boy in his arms. He gave both Alex and Caroline a warning look and left with the little boy.

………………………………....

Wolf figured the best thing to do would be to get Timothy out of the house so if Caroline and Alex fought, he would not get scared and start crying.

In some ways he felt like he had just handed two kids foam swords and told them to go at it, but if fighting would finally get them over the grudge they seemed to have….

Wolf felt slightly awkward with the little boy in his arms. But Timothy seemed content to be walked around the neighborhood. They found a park bench not too far away from the house and Wolf shaded Timothy's eyes from the sun as they sat in the slightly cool weather.

It did not take much to keep the young boy preoccupied. A bird flew over their heads and Timothy gasped in delight. In fact, he was excited by just about anything. Within a few moments Wolf was terribly amused. Had Alex never taken the kid outside?

He would have to talk to him about that….

Around thirty minutes later, Wolf decided that it was safe to go back to the house. He was halfway there when he heard the yelling sounds coming from Alex's house. The sound of breaking china made him spin on his heel.

_Maybe in a few more minutes, _he decided.

He found another bench and sat there in bored silence. Then, a few minutes later three woman with shopping bags came over with to fuss over Timothy. Wolf smiled slowly and talked to them like any friendly father would. Meanwhile, he was thinking, _maybe this won't be too bad after all. _

It was dark by the time he got back and Timothy was asleep in his arms. There were no sounds of fighting from the house, but Wolf was not sure if that was a good thing or not.

_Maybe they killed each other,_ he thought slowly. Eyes widening, he picked up the pace and opened the door to Alex's house without knocking.

Quiet talking made him relax slightly. In the kitchen, he found a sight that made a blink. Catherine was clutching a cup of tea and smiling as she talked to an equally content Alex.

"-can't believe his middle name. Galen is nice, and she did like to think that her ancestry was Greek, but it is rather old fashioned isn't it…and odd?"

Alex shrugged; neither of them had noticed Wolf yet. "We did not want to name our kids after dead people, so we both chose a name that was not linked to anyone we knew. I liked Timothy and she liked Galen, so in the end we were both satisfied." Alex chuckled, "I think Galen came out of one of her books to tell you the truth."

"Timothy Galen Rider," Caroline rolled her eyes as she said it. Alex shrugged with a grin and that was when they both saw Wolf.

Standing up, Caroline took Timothy carefully away from Wolf. "I've been away from my grandson long enough; I'll just put him to bed and start catching up."

She left the room and Alex got Wolf a cup.

"So, from breaking china to best friends, eh?" Wolf said cautiously.

Alex looked at him in wide eyed disbelief. "Of course not. We still have our differences, believe me. She's very stubborn, like Cathy was but even more so--you heard the china break?" he added with a wince.

"Cub, the whole neighborhood heard the china break."

"Oh…well, I didn't like it anyway. Too pretty for my tastes," Alex said. Wolf did not reply and poured himself some tea.

"Caroline is staying here," Alex said slowly. Wolf stopped stirring to look at him. "She thinks that I can get my job back and she can take care of Timothy during the day."

"How long will she be here?" Wolf asked.

"I don't know, we didn't discuss that. We're still sorting out the basics and trying not to talk about sore subjects…it'll get better now, I know it will," Alex finished quietly.

Wolf looked into his tea. He hoped it would get better for Alex, if it did not…then he had not succeeded.

"She told me you're the one that dragged her from her house all the way over here," Alex said inquiringly.

Nodding, Wolf drank his tea before answering. "You obviously needed help and she was there alone, and probably wishing she had something to do. Both of you were just too damn stubborn to talk to each other. So I had to come in and do all the work," Wolf said in mock annoyance.

Laughing, Alex sipped his tea and smiled lightly. "You know you enjoyed bossing us around, admit it."

Wolf just smirked. "Now that I've done you a major favour--where's my money?"

Alex shook his head in amusement, "I can pay you in plastic toys…will that work?"

Wolf did not smile back. "You know, you should try and get your job back. I'm sure they could use you."

Alex bit his lip. "I don't know Wolf…."

"What do you have to lose? The worse they can do is say a few rude words," Wolf said with a grin.

"I guess you're right…." Alex said slowly.

"Of _course _I'm right, now tomorrow call them up and say you want your job back. No smart man who values his life will tell you no," Wolf said.

Nodding Alex stood up, "I guess you're tired? You can use my bedroom--"

"No thanks, Cub," Wolf interrupted. "You can have your bedroom back, you need to use it. I can't imagine Caroline would like seeing you drooling on the couch first thing in the morning."

"I…I guess I do need to start sleeping in there," Alex said.

"Yes, you do," Wolf said just as softly as Alex had. He knew Alex had not used his bedroom since his wife had died, but it was time to start moving on.

"Are you going home? You can stay here another night, I can put you up in the guest room." Alex asked with a look out the window. It was dark outside.

"No, I need to get home. Jennifer will have my head if I don't go home sooner or later," Wolf stood up as he said that.

"Fine," Alex said with a shrug and stood to see Wolf out. At the door he stopped Wolf by catching his shirt sleeve. "Just…I – thank you," Alex said with difficulty.

Wolf smiled, "It was no problem, Cub, just don't make her angry – I won't be the one to calm her down," he said with a laugh.

The door shut behind Wolf with a soft click. He headed to his car, it was a long drive home.

………………………………....

Three days after his departure from Alex's house, Wolf was lying contentedly in his own bed. Jennifer was making breakfast in the kitchen, he could smell the bacon.

The bed-covers left him quite warm, it was the weekend and he was tempted to close his eyes again…but then breakfast would be cold. Getting out of bed, Wolf got dressed and headed to the kitchen.

"Took you long enough, you lazy arse," Jennifer said, with a smile, from the stove. "Your friend called, told me some good news. He wanted to tell you, but he did not want to wake you up."

"Who?" Wolf asked as he stole a piece of toast.

"Alex, the one you went to go see a few days ago. He sounded quite happy," Jennifer smiled before continuing. "I could hear a baby laughing in the background."

Chuckling, Wolf sat at the table. "What did he say?"

"Apparently, the day after you left he got a telephone call. A man named Blunt got fired and the man was calling to ask Alex if he would be willing to come back to work with them, and they even offered his a raise…and of course he took it," Jennifer said.

Grinning, Wolf stood and walked over to look out the window. The rain had finally stopped, the sun was beaming through some thin clouds.

Jennifer handed him a plate and kissed his cheek affectionately. "I'm glad you went – I think you really helped him."

Wolf was quiet for a moment as he walked toward the table. Then he pulled out a chair for Jennifer and sat himself down, "I think you're right…you said he seemed happy?"

Smiling, Jennifer nodded. "He was happy, there was a laughing baby in the background and someone else was talking, it sounded like an older woman. I imagine it will take a while for him to heal, but I think you started him in that direction."

Raising a fork to her mouth, Jennifer paused and glanced at him. "What did you do to change the situation so dramatically?"

Wolf chuckled, "What _didn't _I do would be a better question."

"Hmm, well my sister is coming over, she had a fight with her boyfriend…think you can fix this situation--?"

Wolf cut her off with a groan and Jennifer laughed.

**Authors Note: **There once was a youngster named Stu  
Who simple refused to review  
His computer broke down  
And the next day he drowned  
Let this be a lesson to you.  
Yes, listen to the limerick, people. The limerick knows best.  
Thank you Nyxie for betaing! I know I told several readers in review replies that I would update Faint Hearted first, but my beta is very busy and I got this chapter back first. This is the **last **chapter of Not Quite Alone, I hope you enjoyed it. :D


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